Lipton Plant Architects converting bunker into holiday home with "bomb blast" windows

UK studio Lipton Plant Architects is set to convert a windowless world war two bunker in Dorset, England, into a holiday home.

The studio has won planning permission to create a two-bedroom holiday rental property within the bunker, which was originally built in 1939 but has long been abandoned.

"We are taking a windowless concrete world war two bunker that sits within an earth mound and has not been uncovered for over 70 years, and opening up several 'bomb blast' openings with glazing behind," said Lipton Plant Architects co-founder Edward Lipton.

"We are preparing spaces to receive views, light, inhabitants for the first time," he told Dezeen.

Top: the bunker will have bomb-blast windows. Above: it will have two bedrooms

Created as part of the Chain Home radar detection system – a ring of radar stations built by the Royal Air Force during world war two – the 76-square-metre bunker is located near Weymouth on the south coast of the UK.

The bunker's interior will be converted into two bedrooms alongside a kitchen, living space and bathroom.

As the bunker has no windows, the studio is creating two bomb-blast-shaped windows to allow light into the holiday home. One will be in the living space and the other in one of the bedrooms.

"A play on the building's history, the windows create an illusion, a modern, domestic, high-tech and sustainable home, reflecting and receiving not radar from the darkness, but light," explained Lipton.

"This new view from the bunker, through the woodland out across the land and seascape, has no threat on the horizon!"

The bunker is abandoned

With the exception of the bomb-blast windows, the external appearance of the bunker will remain largely the same.

Internally the holiday home will have exposed concrete walls, as the architecture studio aims to retain the original feel of the building.

"We are working with the bunker, not against it," said Lipton.

"We have interrogated its materials, colours, textures, details, previous use and equipment and have put together a recognisable relevant pallet but playing with those references to provide a space that is unique, specific, playful but true to its past."

Along with holiday homes, like this one in the Netherlands, bunkers are being converted into a variety of uses.

Petr Hájek Architekti created a pet crematorium within a Cold War bunker in the Czech Republic, while South Korean studio CoRe Architects transformed a tank bunker near Seoul into a creative hub.

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Bjarke Ingels designing "new city in America" for five million people

Danish architect Bjarke Ingels is master planning a city called Telosa for entrepreneur Marc Lore, which is set to be built "from scratch" in the US desert.

Announced on Twitter by Ingels' architecture studio BIG, Telosa would be built on an unoccupied 150,000-acre site in the western United States.

"Our vision is to create a new city in America that sets a global standard for urban living, expands human potential and becomes a blueprint for future generations," said a statement from Telosa.

Telosa (top) is being designed by architect Bjarke Ingels (above)

The city is the idea of Lore, an entrepreneur and former CEO of e-commerce at retailer Walmart, who sold his start-up website Jet.com to the supermarket giant for $3.3 billion in 2016.

Lore's idea is to acquire a large plot of land that would be donated to a community endowment so that its increasing value could fund the city's development and improve the resident's welfare.

Telosa to be built on community-owned land

"There's a finite amount of land and that land was claimed generations ago – communities were created, tax dollars were used to invest in the land, and therefore the land increased in value over time with landowners not having to produce anything or take any risk," explains Lore on the Telosa website.

Tesola is the idea of entrepreneur Marc Lore. Photo is by Phurleyusa 

"Land could essentially go from a barren piece of desert to a modern-day city worth billions, or even trillions," he continued.

"It got me asking even more questions and thinking about a potential solution. What if that land had been owned by a community endowment?"

Envisioned to grow to a population of five million over the next 40 years, the organisers are aiming to create a city for 50,000 people by 2030.

Aim is to be "the most sustainable city in the world"

Broadly based on the principles of urbanist Ebenezer Howard's Garden Cities in the UK, the city would have a density of around 33 people per acre – broadly equivalent to that of San Francisco.

According to Lore, building Telosa from scratch would allow it to become "the most sustainable city in the world".

The city would be built from scratch

"My focus turned to making Telosa the most sustainable city in the world," he explained. "From global warming to water and energy – how can we do better for future generations? And what technology and other innovations in policy and design can we embed in the city that is only possible because of the fact that we’re building it from scratch?"

"Just imagine what's possible with sustainable building materials, autonomous vehicles, electric aircraft, and underground movement of materials."

Viewing tower to stand at centre of city

The city would contain "diverse housing options" that "are accessible to all". An image of BIG's Dortheavej Residence in Copenhagen was used to illustrate the section on Telosa's website.

A large viewing tower dubbed Equitism would be built at the centre, which would be surrounded by a series of blocky high-rises.

The Equitism tower would be built at the centre of the city

"Rising from the lush central park of Telosa, Equitism tower is a beacon for the City," explained the Telosa website.

"The inviting civic and lookout areas bring visitors and residents together. A photovoltaic roof, elevated water storage, and aeroponic farms enable the structure to share and distribute all it produces."

Ingels is the founder of BIG, one of the world's most successful architecture studios. He recently launched a home design company that aims to "reimagine the way we build our homes".

He is also drawing up a master plan for the whole planet to "prove that a sustainable human presence on planet Earth is attainable with existing technologies".

Renders courtesy of BIG.

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Weathering steel roof shelters Utah desert home by Studio Upwall Architects

American practice Studio Upwall Architects has designed a house on a desert site in Moab, Utah, sheltered from the harsh climate by a weathering steel roof.

Overlooking panoramic views of red rock cliffs, the rusted steel and weathered wood cladding of Sunny Acres Residence was chosen by the Washington-based practice to reference the colour palette and texture of its surroundings.

Sunny Acres Residence and a neighbouring garage are clad in weathering steel to match the desert landscape

The simple arrangement of the 185-square-metre home sees bedrooms and utility spaces in its northern half, and a large living, kitchen and dining area facing south, protected from the sun by the metal roof's large overhang.

"The home is simple in function and form with an asymmetric gable roof volume that is extruded along the main axis of the house to form an exterior shroud," said Studio Upwall Architects.

The two buildings have gabled roofs that overhang outdoor spaces

"The southern wall, punctuated with a series of glass doors and windows designed to provide a connection to the landscape and panoramic views, is set in under the deep overhang of the roof to deliver shade in the hottest months."

This overhanging roof form continues downwards with two wall sections, one solid and one fitted with louvres, at either end of the roof to further shade the large windows.

Smooth concrete patios are used as outdoor dining areas

Extending from the interior, the smooth concrete floor creates a patio that wraps around the southern end of the home, with outdoor seating areas oriented towards the La Sal Mountains and sunrise to the east, and sunset over the Utah Cliffs to the west.

Grey render covers the exterior, with openings surrounded by weathered wood cladding to creating a softer texture where the home is entered. A sliding, slatted door on the eastern elevation enables further control of the sunlight.

Inside, white walls and a pitched ceiling brings a feeling of lightness and space, with simple fittings focusing attention on the framed views of the landscape.

A ladder leads up to a mezzanine loft above the kitchen area, creating a more intimate space for reading and reflection away from the brightness and open views of the ground floor.

The house features neutral interiors

Along the northern edge, the roof extends down to provide greater privacy in the bedroom and bathroom spaces, which feature smaller horizontal windows.

Opposite, a small garage building has been designed with the same form and weathered exterior finishes to mirror the main home.

White walls are set against darker cabinetry in the kitchen

Other projects recently completed in Utah include a charred wood home by Klima Architecture and a cedar-clad courtyard home by Kipp Edick and Joe Sadoski, both located close to the Wasatch Mountains.

The photography is by City Home Collective.

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HP Z systems are powerful workstations designed for working from home

Dezeen promotion: technology company HP's range of HP Z workstations allow professionals in the design and architecture industries to access the same powerful technology they'd have in the office while working from home.

According to HP, many architects and designers faced serious challenges with the shift to working remotely during the coronavirus pandemic due to the lack of access to powerful, secure technology usually used in office environments.

"Suddenly, everyone across the industry was faced with the need to work more effectively while remaining socially distanced," said Dan Barham, advanced computer and solutions market lead at HP.

"This posed an issue for the industry, as a report by workforce management experts Mitrefinch found that engineering firms are one of the least prepared sectors in the UK to deal with remote working."

HP Z workstations allow professionals to run programs that use large amounts of processing power anywhere

The HP Z workstations aim to solve some of these problems as they were designed to deliver the graphic and processing power needed to undertake complex computational design and data tasks.

"The kind of software required to virtualise construction, engineering and architecture workflows needs substantial computing power," said Barham.

"This is required to process large data volumes, in real-time and for multiple participants – imagine several engineers and architects all moving through a virtual-reality simulation of the project, all interacting with data, each other and the 3D rendering as they go."

According to the brand, the pandemic has accelerated the trend in construction and engineering for automation and virtualisation

According to Barham, hardware must "render on the fly" often with high standard colour accuracy and precision.

This includes 4K video editing, data processing and 3D modelling required in building information modelling, virtual reality and augmented reality.

To work effectively with these technologies, and fully realise their potential, HP believes that engineering and design professionals need solutions capable of accelerating workflows.

As a result, HP's workstations are intended to enhance user's graphic performance without falling short on security.

The systems are designed to enhance user's graphic performance

This allows users to access the same powerful technology they'd have in the office while working from home.

The ZCentral solution can use an encrypted connection where users access a virtual desktop meaning the individual's and company data is locked down and secured.

"For users such as designers and architects who need colour precision, the ideal workstation should have built-in self-calibration, ensuring it delivers predictable, accurate colour processing effortlessly while working with True 2K and 4K content," explained Barham. "This delivers the power needed to run graphics and data-intensive professional applications."

"Z by HP workstations have been designed to support whatever workflow is thrown at it and can handle dual CPU and dual graphics card configurations for maximum performance."

"Unlike a virtual server or cloud solution, users get direct, undivided workstation access to do 3D modelling or 4K video editing from almost any device and all at a predictable cost."

The HP Z workstations were designed to deliver the graphic and processing power needed to undertake complex computational design and data tasks

According to the brand, the pandemic has accelerated the trend in construction and engineering for automation and virtualisation.

HP believes architects, engineers and designers must continue to prepare for a long-term working environment with distributed teams.

"AEC professionals need technology capable of unlocking the benefits of all these innovations today, maintaining a competitive edge, while also preparing for the marketplace of the future," said Barham.

To learn more about HP Z Systems, visit the brand's website.

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Cotone Slim sofa by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Cassina

Dezeen Showroom: Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec have extended their Cotone Slim seating line for Cassina, creating a sofa based on the same slender, minimalist form.

The Cotone Slim sofa is distinguished by its linear extruded aluminium frame, which has a faintly tapered shape.

The Cotone Slim sofa has a slim linear frame

Its backrest follows the same line as the frame, with a rigid exterior and plush, inviting interior.

The sofa can be upholstered in a wide range of fabrics and leathers, which can be matched or contrasted with the anodised or painted finish of the metal frame.

It is available with a high or low back

The Cotone Slim sofa is available with either a high back for privacy or a low backrest that creates a sense of openness.

Cassina says the sofa is "perfect for contract projects that call for uncluttered, linear modern decor to furnish corporate headquarters, executive offices and waiting areas".

Product: Cotone Slim
Designer: Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec
Brand: Cassina
Contact: info@cassina.it

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